


A Lawful Intervention

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Death Row, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Murder, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Updated every Sunday, lawyer AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-23 04:38:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8314234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Levi, a lawyer fresh out of law school and working for a podcast called Phelony just wants something new in his life. Sick of college, sick of his job, he goes to deliver a message for his professor.After this, he swears, he will quit his job at the station, and get a real job.Erwin, a man forgotten and displaced in this world, still holds on to the hope that even in his way he can achieve happiness.When these two men collide, nothing will stop their world's from collapsing around them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi gets a message from his professer

“Sit up and shut it!” Drawled the professor in his usual manor, but unlike most times, he had a lazy smile on his face. “Now, you all know I’m not much of a bragger,” the group of boys behind Levi found this hysterical, “But I think as a whole, you all have done pretty good! And it is obviously all because of my hard work!” He looked around at his students, pushing up his glasses with his middle finger.

“What did you get!?” Hissed Hange at him, making him jump.

“I wouldn’t tell you if you threatened to kill me.” He whispered.

“You’re probably just embarrassed!” She said, grinning. He shrugged, then yawned. Sure, the professor was funny, but he always took his time. Might be because of some of the slower students, like that Sasha in the front, always stuffing her face.

He popped his knuckles, which made Hange cringe and slap him.

Her giggles echoed through the large space, but the professor gave no mind, ranting from below. His face was a constant mash between relaxed and extreme, stress and reflex, almost like an animation.

He wanted to work for an animation company before he joined Retro Productions Studio. The next episode of his podcast Phelony was going through its final stages. The RPS reviews were a bitch.

Levi was in charge of the music in the background of episodes. He actually liked it, the composing and playing bit. In high school, he had dabbled in DJing, and found he was pretty good at it.

It was one of the bits he loved most about working at the company. They had strict rules of what type of music they wanted, and the pacing so that it fit with the narrative of the episode. A lot of it was either very dark and mellow tones, or steady piano.

But what he loved most is when he was able to do swing. He always had some sort of swing playing in his ears. It was almost comforting.

“You’re dismissed!” Said the professor suddenly, snapping him out of his daydream.

The sun was almost blinding after being inside for so long. Levi squinted, blocking the sun. He probably needed to go soon, otherwise he could be late for work.

He really didn’t need his fucking boss on his case again. She was a bitch, constantly looking down on him. She never said anything to him unless it was criticism. Not even with the Jolly Judy episode, which consisted of thirty minutes straight of music.

He grit his teeth.

“Do you want to go to Mike’s apartment?” Hange said, jumping up and down. “He just got Overwatch and-“  
“I need to go to work.” He said, checking his watch. Hange sighed.

“Well, I hope we can spend time together on the weekend!”

“Sure, sure, just go, I know you want to play that stupid game.” He said, putting his bag on the ground and waving at the cheerful woman walking away.  
Why the fuck did she even spend time with him? They were such polar opposites, it didn’t even make sense.

“Levi!” Said the drawling voice of the professor.

“Oh, hello.” He said, looking up from the ground. He did not like being even shorter than the professor than he normally was. The professor’s eyes were gleaming, with… something.

“Levi, I need you to take this message to someone.” He pulled a letter out of his back pocket.

“Why are you trusting me with this, sir?” Levi said, taking the letter. It was yellow and had numbers all over the back. It had already been torn open.

“You are one of my best students! And this is important.” He said, pointing at the letter. “It’s for a death row inmate. I don’t have any time this weekend, and you live in Georgia, right?”

Levi nodded, carefully turning the letter over and over in his hands. A death row inmate? In Georgia?

“Sure, I’m going back to Georgia in a day. I’ll take it.” He said. The professor sighed with relief.

“Oh thank god! Thank you Levi.” He nodded, and left, leaving Levi with the letter.

He glared down at it, as if it was somehow looking back at him. He burned with curiosity like the letter was aflame in his hand, and he just had to open it.

A death row inmate? Images flashed through his mind of people in shackles, crazy and drearily banging against the bars.

Levi put the letter into his folder. At this pace, he would get to work an hour late. With that, he also stuffed the information in his head. He would definitely revisit this.  
He spot his motorbike, dull red with a yellow stripe running across the surface. Climbing on, he put on his helmet, feeling the leather handles under his fingers. With that, he twisted the handles, and the motor grumbled.

He turned his motorcycle off the road and into the parking. The radio station was stuffed nonchalantly between two cramped office buildings. The grass lining the sidewalk was watered every day at twelve, and mown once a week. He had the recording room all to himself today, but the sound proofing was shit on the right side, as he could still hear the gardener’s whistling.

He grabbed his blue bag and headed in though the steps. Only two minutes late, he thought. Maybe she wouldn’t notice.  
He made his way to the recording room, nodding at his colleges as he passed. It was cooler inside, the aircon on full blast.  
The soft black sponge lined the walls, a microphone sticking through the wall, and a keyboard in the corner.

“Hello, uh, Levi?” Said a timid voice from behind him. The blonde haired boy leaned out from the door. “We…” he said, watching Levi place the bag down on the floor. “We have a meeting in a few minutes. So… if you could come soon!”  
He sighed.

“I’ll get there now, let me just get my notes.”

Armin nodded. “Okay, good!” He then darted away again.

The new episode just needed to edited and refined. It was just going to be another boring meeting.

“Levi!” Said Claire, beaming as he walked in. “It is lovely to have you finally join us!” She said, stressing the finally, so that everyone could clearly understand what she really meant.  
He grumbled back, smirking. Ignoring him, she pulled out her files and began to talk.

“As you all know, we are currently almost done with our Gun violence episode. Reiner, Christa, could you please complete the credit section of the audio, you need to add our new art provider.” They nodded.

Christa was a sweet girl, young, still in high school. But she had a golden voice, and was quickly accepted as a narrator. She had a blue bow in her hair, and she was drinking some sweet tea.

Reiner was almost the complete opposite, large, and built like a wrestler. He crossed his arms, but had a slight grin in his eyes.

“Oh, and Levi?” She said, looking down at him. “Please change the way you begin the episode, it sounds too much like the last one. Shake things up a bit, you know.” Raising a delicate eyebrow, she smiled.

He nodded, and a piece of him seemed to contort. She was the boss though, and he needed to comply, even if he didn’t like it.

When the meeting was over, a hand tapped his own. Petra smiled at him. She had new lipstick on. It looked just recently applied.

“Levi, are you busy after work? Maybe we could, watch a movie together, or something!” She said, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear. Her fingers were clenched around her bag, and the edge of her mouth twitched slightly with each breath.

Ah.

“Sorry Petra, I’m busy.” She nodded nervously. “I’m going to visit my parents tomorrow, so I need to get things sorted.” With that, she smiled and walked away.  
He did feel a little bad. She was a beautiful person, but she was just… too different. When Levi pictured his perfect match, it was almost always the quiet, mysterious, dead-clever type.

The look on her face was sad though. He sighed. Perhaps he should have just said yes, for what harm could that possibly do? Spend time with someone other than Hange and Mike for a change.

God, what he could give for something new in his life. The last relationship he had been in was high school, and while that contained mostly sex and less substance, he still missed it sometimes.

He sat down on the stool beside the keyboard, and placed his sheet music. Making a few adjustments here and there, raising the first bar an octave higher, maybe changing the major into a minor in the last section to make it sound darker. When he was done, he began testing out his new piece.

It started, elegant and slow, quiet with a slow beating passion, the keys beneath his fingers gently pressed. As the piece grew in texture, adding in more notes between the others, he played louder. When he would play, it was almost as if he went into autopilot, barely conscious yet hanging on every key.

He then changed things up, twisting his fingers upwards to the black keys, allowing the music to groan and stretch out, clicking its ivory bones, peering into the darkness. The dark tones seemed almost to seep into the music, unnoticeable until it was noticed by the lack of light.

In sudden sharp movements, Levi played, slamming his fingers into the keys, and jumping from minor to major.

Then he slowed, gentle and quiet again, the keys almost in the background of everything. He ended with a slow, long press of the keys, then looked back up at Armin, who had been watching this entire time.

He gave a timid thumbs up, and grinned.'

Levi smiled, his fingers now twitching slightly from the sudden lack of keys to press. He rolled back his shoulders, raising an eyebrow.

“Did the audio come out good? Fuck, these microphones are shit.”

Armin nodded, listening to the music, and checking through the audio.

“No!” He says, smiling. “I think it turned out really well! You’re pretty amazing on that keyboard Levi! I wish I was as good as you!”  
Levi shrugged.

“You better get on it then. My father made me begin when I was four.” The teen sighed solemnly.

“No way I’m ever going to reach your level then!” He looked though the audio again, and grinned. “It is very good though. I’m positive Claire is going to like this!”  
Claire doesn’t know shit about anything, he was tempted to spit out. But he held himself back.

“I’ll send this over to Claire for consideration. Is.. that okay?” He asked. Levi nodded.

“Send it over. I’ll walk to her office.”

When he got to the second floor, he found her with earbuds in her ears, and pouted red lips. Her office was always a little bit too messy for his liking. Even from this angle, he saw a folder or two stuffed roughly between the file cabinet and the wall. It stuck out like a sore thumb.

He could never live in such a dirty shit hole. She even had her shoes off, and her empty Starbucks coffee on the floor. He shivered, looking back up to her.  
“It sounds really good.” She muttered, clicking. “I really like how you made it sound dark and ominous.” 

He really wanted to fix her keyboard. It was hanging slightly off the desk. If she could only push it forward, then perhaps he could give more of a shit to what she was really saying.

“Yep, this should be good to go!” She said, smiling grimly, before taking off her headphones. “Why are you still here then?”

She really made his blood boil.

In a sudden moment, he felt everything that had been building up over the year, all the things he wanted to scream at her recoil inside him and snap like a whip. He was boiling from the inside out, and he needed to leave before, so help me he broke her fucking nose in two.

“Nothing.” He said, walking away, fingernails digging into his palms. Levi so badly wanted to yell in her face, but he held his lips shut. He could feel her eyes following him, so he went back downstairs and outside.

“I’m done Armin.” He said to the protesting boy. “I am fucking out!”

Armin spluttered but left him to walk out the front door and into the approaching darkness.

He was probably going to get fired after this, he thought. 

Fuck it. He hated this job anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! If you give a shit, this is the first time in a few months I've actually written, and the first time I've posted anything!
> 
> It's good to be back /slides on shades/.  
> But honestly, I hope you liked this chapter! If you did, then comment. If you hated it, comment. Believe me, I do really write faster if I know people like my stuff.
> 
> And don't worry, the fluffy-angsty stuff is coming soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi meets Erwin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. I finished writing a chapter, so I'm updating early. Am I not the best!  
> Enjoy!  
> If you are looking for the music Levi likes, look up 'Best of ELECTRO SWING Mix August 2016' by Xefox Music.  
> Good stuff. I'm pretty sure it doesn't fit this chapter though. Do whatever you want.

It took about three hours to drive to his parent’s house. It always seemed like a short trip. He would stop once for gas, and then once more to visit the soap shop off the highway his mom always liked.

His father was a welder, and worked on various things. It was always interesting to hear the new project he was working on. He hadn’t seen them in over three months, but they would call every once and a while. They weren’t really the keep-in-touch type. And nothing much changed in their lives anyway.

Mom was a language professor at the university nearby. She taught linguistics and loved learning now languages. She was currently working on her Japanese, as it had faded over the years. Levi’s Japanese was horrible.

He liked to listen to old music while driving, stuff like the Boswell sisters and ‘Old time religion’. He had lost his faith a young age, yet the old church songs still stuck with him like scars. If it was quiet and he was alone, he would catch himself singing them softly under his breath. Childhood memories seemed to stick with him even as he grew older and older.

He never enjoyed growing older. The increased responsibly was never a pleasant thing to get use you. You could say he was rather sheltered as a child, and the sudden dump of expectations shocked him. He learned early on that family was almost always the only thing you could really depend on in the end.

What was that phrase? Ah, blood is thicker than water. A German phrase his mother had taught him. It really was true, wasn’t it?

It was five when he started driving, and he made it home around eight, pulling into the driveway.

The house was small, just enough for the two of them, with a small kitchen and a garden in the front. The flowers were slightly wilted, as his dad often forgot to water the plants, and when he did, he over did it. It was a miracle they weren’t already dead at this point.

His mother was beaming as she walked down the red brick driveway in her slippers. Her dull red sweater was covered in dried paint.

“Levi!” She cried, hugging him tightly. “Oh, it is so lovely to see you again!” She spoke, grinning and looking him over. “ _How was your trip?_ I hope it wasn’t too cold.” She spoke quickly.

He shook his head, smiling, a bit. “No, it’s warm. _Where’s dad?_ ”

“ _He’s inside,_ making food. Let’s get inside, it’s getting cold.”

The smell of home was sudden and inviting. Just the smell of the place was enough to make him feel at home.

“ _I’m home.”_ He said, placing his shoes into the cubby.

“Hello, Levi! _Welcome home._ ” Said his father. “I’m in the kitchen.”

His father was chopping up vegetables and turned around to give Levi a hug.

“How was your trip? I’ve been listening to Phelony, some really violent stuff in there. The music you play is so wonderful!”

“ _Thanks dad._ Do you need help with anything?” He asked, noticing the slight shake of his father’s fingers. He had always been a fairly shaky man, but this was a new thing.

“No, I’m good so far. Can you cut the onions, _my eyes are too old for this_.” Levi nodded and began to cut the onions.

When they were all sitting around the dinner table, they were finally able to really talk.

“When is your graduation ceremony?” Asked his father.

“ _In three months, but_ I haven’t gotten my robes yet. Seriously, they are so expensive, it’s such a rip-off.”

His mother laughed. “Don’t worry, you haven’t even gotten to the hardest part yet. Finding work in this economy, ha!”

He nodded, chewing. “I’m thinking of quitting the RPS.”

“I thought you loved the music.” Said his father.

“It’s not that, it’s my boss. She’s a total bitch.”

“In the real world, you need to be able to handle things like that.” Said his mom. “That’s why I told you to do all that hard work in high school. _You learn to become a better person that way_. It means that you can appreciate all the hard work we put into bringing you here.”

“Right.” He said.

It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate all his parents had done. It would have been selfish for him not to, yet…

“Tomorrow I need to go out.”

“ _Where?”_ Dad said.

“ _I need to take a package to someone._ ”

 _“_ Well, just get home safe. Many people are killed on motorcycles every day.”

He nodded, smiling slightly. But there was still that heavy lump in his stomach.

There was still something else. He needed something else, and he didn’t have it. He desired symmetry in his life, and something just wasn’t sitting right.

In the morning he woke up early, as he always did, and began his typical morning routine. He found it therapeutic. He finished with the windows and admired his work, taking a deep breath.

He removed all his other files from his bag, just leaving a drink bottle and the letter.

“ _I’m going out,”_ Levi said to his mother and father in the kitchen. They waved at him through the window, grinning.

He smiled back.

Levi found the location of the prison, the only prison that housed death row inmates on his phone and set off. It was a small prison, and only thirty minutes away. He set off.

Levi had never been to a prison before. He had never committed a crime. The idea that there were these people out in the word that had done such horrible things that they deserved death was almost unthinkable.

What sort of person would it take to do something like that? To hurt someone so badly that the world decided your life was no longer worth anything? Because Levi knew that just simply killing someone was not enough. It had to be a lot worse. You needed to make it real bad. That is how you invoked the death penalty upon yourself.

He didn’t really know how he felt about it. Human lives, regardless, needed to matter. But what some of these inmates had done was awful. Rape, torture, murder, those were evil in his mind.

Levi supposed, sometimes these people did deserve to die. He hated anyone who would do that to another human being.

The prison was small, a grey concrete building surrounded by a high barbed wire fence. It was probably electric as well. Someone looked down at him from a large tower. There were three others along this wall.

The entrance had two guards at the front. They held guns, and they were in some sort of black armour. He walked past them.

Inside, it was cool, with light blue tiles that seemed very unfitting for the place. There were a couple chairs, but no one in them. There is no way they let prisoners in through here, he thought. It was far too nice. They must have a back entrance somewhere.

The man at the front desk raised an eyebrow. He was the only one there, and he had his hand on the radio, trying to tune it.

“We aren’t taking any visitors today.”

“I’m here because of Professor Garsia. He sent me over with this.” Levi said, rummaging through his bag to find the letter.

“Let me just check here,” he said, looking through some papers on his desk. “Oh, you’re here for… Smith?”

Levi just nodded. That was probably the guy.

“Ok, you can meet him now. Just a heads up, your conversation will be filmed, and you will be searched on your way in and way out.”

Lovely. Just what he needed.

“Can I leave my bag here?”

“Yep. Just leave it on one of the chairs.”

He then pulled out a small black device and spoke into it.

“Just through there.” He said, pointing to a door to the side. “It will only take a couple minutes for him to get there.”

Levi nodded, and walked through the door. A waiting room on the right was the only one lit up. The guard in the hallway approached him, and sighed.

“Do you have any contraband on you?” She said. Levi shook his head, and tried his best not to wince as she checked his arms, legs and chest. “Ok, you’re clean. Go through.” The guard then opened the door.

Small, cramped, with a metal table. Glorious, he thought, sitting down on the metal chair.

After a while, he began to examine the room. He noticed there were two hooks on the floor, probably for chains to clip onto. A single light was on the ceiling, but it was far too high for anyone to reach. The table was stuck to the floor.

Along the walls, there were two cameras.

The sudden bang on the door opposite him made him jump. He sat there, waiting for someone to come in. There was a rattling noise, then a loud clang and click and the door moved to swing open.

A blonde man in a green jumpsuit, shackled to a wheelchair and being shoved by two guards suddenly came in. Was he cripple? Thought Levi as they pulled the cuffs off his wrists roughly, grabbing him by the arms and up out of the chair, attaching the chains back onto the two metal hooks in the floor. They shoved him onto the chair, and Levi saw the man’s eyes flash with pain for a second. They gave the cuffs one last pull to check, and the man almost winced. A large bruise on his cheek seemed to be just fading away.

“When you’re done with him, just knock. We’ll be right outside.”

“Right.” He said, looking at the man rubbing his wrists.

He didn’t look anything like he expected. His blonde hair was clean, and didn’t look oily. He had a large bulky build, and he was tall.

When the man looked up, Levi saw his bright blue eyes. They were beautiful, and Levi didn’t use that word lightly.

He was completely taken aback.

No, he told himself. This man probably killed someone, or raped a kid. You can’t even think of him this way, it is absolutely despicable.

But he looked almost broken. The chains connecting his feet and his hands to the floor were just a little too short for him, and he had to hunch slightly.

The man looked up at him, straight in the eye, and laughed.

“What?”

“No, it’s just,” He covered his laughter with a hand. “You’re pretty young for a professor.” The man laughed a bit more, looking him up and down. Even when he stopped, there was still a soft sort of glee in his eyes. “You must be a prodigy then, right? No wonder you’re so good at your job then! I really do want to thank you for deciding to help me.”

Levi stilted. How was he supposed to talk to this man?

“I’m not the professor.”

“That makes more sense.” He said, smiling slightly. There was something so strange about the way he smiled. It wasn’t malicious. “Regardless, it’s nice to have a visitor. Are you a lawyer?”

“I’m sorry.” He said. “I’m not a professor or even a real lawyer, but he told me to give you this.” He pushed the letter out onto the table.

The man pulled the letter out gently and opened it up. Before he could do anything, his eyes began to fill with tears, and he clutched onto the letter. He took deep heavy breaths.

“Is it true?” he asked, fingers trembling. He placed the letter back down on the table in Levi’s direction.

_Erwin Smith_

_I am overjoyed to inform you that you are going to live for at least another year. I have been able to talk to the judge, and he has extended your time._

_Best of Luck_

_H.G_

The man was shaking.

“You’re going to live for another year.” Read Levi under his breath.

“Say that again.”

“You’re going to live for another year.”

The biggest grin came over Erwin’s face, and tears flowed down his cheeks.

“Say that again.”

“You’re going to live for another year!” Said Levi, louder.

Erwin wiped the tears from his eyes. “Oh thank god!” He was muttering. He looked up at Levi. “I don’t who you are, but thank you! Thank you, oh god,” he said, a smile as wide as the moon on his face. “What’s your name?”

“Levi.”

“Thank you, Levi!” He said. “You’re the first person I’ve seen in two years who isn’t in this prison or a guard.” His eyes were still watery.

Levi reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, and passed it over.

“How do you know the professor then?”

“We talk over the phone. He was a friend of my father.” He placed the handkerchief back onto the table. His eyes were lively, and bright once more. “I’ve been talking to my sisters over the phone, but I’ve never let them come here because I thought might have an execution date, but now because of you, I’m going to see them again.” And with that came another round of tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come next Sunday!  
> Unless I happen to write another chapter in record time, you probably won't get another one until next Sunday.
> 
> BTW, I do live in Australia, and I'm guessing most of you live in the US. So, my Sunday will be your Saturday.  
> Probably.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi buys new recording equipment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I had a bunch of fun writing this chapter!  
> Music in Levi's car for today: Great Accordion Music - Lydie Auvray - Schlomo

There was nothing Levi could do about the fact that he needed to call into work.

Word had apparently spread that he had suddenly left, and Armin was texting him by the hour, pleading with him.

“Please, Levi!” Cried Armin through the phone. “She’s going to go nuts! We need to start working on the music for next episode! Please, I can’t do this on my own!”

“Sure you can.” Said Levi. “I thought you said that you played the piano?”

“Yes!” He said, voice straining. “But she wants us to do jazz. Jazz, Levi! Jazz!”

Levi couldn’t keep himself from smirking. “You love Jazz!”

“I do, but…” He heard Armin gasp.

“What?”

“It’s Claire. She wants to talk to you.” Levi grit his teeth.

“Armin do not put her on the phone – do not –“

“Hello Levi.” Said the smiling voice.

“I’m-“

“No, you will now listen to me!” She said, her normal feminine voice twisting up. “Don’t you dare speak right now! I am not in the mood to listen to your stupid excuses.” She sighed, a rattle through the line. “Levi, I am willing to let this slide if you come back. You are a valuable member of our podcast. I do not want to fire you.”

Levi laughed. “You have Armin.”

“Armin is… not as talented at you.” He heard a whine from the teen in the background. “Just come back.”

Levi opened his mouth to speak, and all of a sudden he had an idea.

“What if I stay here?” He said.

“What!? You-“ She began to protest.

“No, no, for the podcast. What if I bring you more material?”

He could totally imagine her raising an eyebrow in interest. “Okay,” Claire said. “I’m listening.”

“I have something I can bring to the Death Row episode.” He said, his heart pounding in his ears. “My parents live near a prison with death row inmates. I can interview a prisoner for you. We can get him to speak on the podcast.”

A cough came through the line. Probably from Armin.

“How did you get access to a death row inmate?” She said doubtfully.

“None of your business!” He hissed back. “But that is my offer. I’ll interview him. I’ll stay here. And you don’t fire me.” He took a deep breath. If this backfired, he would be out of a job, and without money. “Is it a deal or not!”

The line was silent for a moment. Then…

“Fine.” She sighed. “You get a month. But after that, you better be back. Armin, I am sure you can handle the music without Levi.”

“Thank god.” Levi said, the pounding in his chest coming down.

“You better thank god! I am being merciful today.” Claire said. “A month, got it!”

“Uh huh.” He said.

The phone was then passed to Armin, who from the noises he made seemed to be having an asthma attack.

“Levi, that was crazy!” He said, voice squeaky with excitement. “I can’t believe you just said that to her!” Armin was breathless.

“Oh come on, that was nothing.” He smirked. “So… are you sure you can handle the music without me?”

“Don’t be mean!” Moaned Armin. “I will try my best, but it won’t be the same.”

“You’ll do great. This is your time to shine Armin.”

“Really?”

“Yep. You will be fine.”

He sighed, and hung up. Levi waited until the beating of his heart had slowed down, and then he grinned. He almost couldn’t believe he had gotten away unscathed.

A month wasn’t a very long time. He would start tomorrow, he decided.

“ _Come Levi!”_ Called his mother. “ _We’re going to be late for the beach.”_ He scoffed.

“ _You can’t be late for the beach.”_

“I will leave you here with your father.” Levi laughed. His father was repainting the hallway. Dad wasn’t a team player when it came to painting.

“ _Okay, just wait!”_

The beach was fine. It was full to the brim, with children and dogs running around in the sand. He didn’t like either. The risk of getting a mouthful of sand was too high for him to relax at all. The sand would stick to the sunblock, which he had to reapply on the hour. His skin was too pale to be out in the sun for more than a couple hours.

When they got home, he took a long shower, trying to remove the stickiness of the sunblock and the grit in his hair.

He would worry about work tomorrow.

In the morning, about the same time he arrived the last time he had been there, he pulled into the driveway. He had brought his recording equipment along with him. Hopefully, he would be able to bring it in with him.

“Oh,” said the man at the desk again, taking his feet off the table. Levi almost cringed. He could only imagine all the filth on the floor of a prison. “You’re Levi, right?”

“Yeah. I’m here for Erwin Smith.”

“Right…” Said the man. “He is free now. So, we can bring him over. Make sure you get his prison number though. The professor can only cover for so many sudden visits.” He wrote something down and gave it to Levi. It seemed to be a phone number.

The professor. They never said his name. He seemed to be famous around here. Had the professor told them his name?

“You can call in. Then you need to use his number. That way you can call him or schedule a meeting. Oh, and when you are in there, tell him to add you to his list. That way you can call in. Otherwise you can’t call. Got it?”

Levi nodded, putting the number into his bag.

“Hi.” Said the guard in the hallway, her voice as glum as before. “Contraband?” She asked, patting him down.

“Nothing this time.” He said.

“Lovely.” She said. Then she noticed the small recorder in his hand. “What do you have there?”

“It’s a recorder. Can I bring it in with me?” She picked it from his hand, inspecting it. She shook it, holding it up to her ear. What the fuck? Thought Levi. Were these really the people who were supposed to be running a prison?

“Sure,” she said, tossing it back to him.. “As long as you keep it on the table in sight of the camera, and don’t try to kill anyone with it, it should be harmless.”

He was let into the room, and the door was shut behind him.

“You only have an hour! You have a time limit!” She shouted through the door.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” He shouted back.

“Sorry.” She shouted back.

Erwin Smith was wheeled in again, roughly grabbed by the guards and locked to the metal hooks in the floor. They pushed him around, their hands tight around his arms. When they left again, Erwin rubbed the marks they had left.

“They’re really rough.” Said Levi, shuddering at the blue stains on his wrists. “Are those from a few days ago?”

Erwin shrugged. “It’s not that uncommon. They like pushing us around.” He smirks, admiring the marks. “It’s really not as painful as it looks. I suppose they like putting on a show.”

Levi eyed the bruises on his left wrist. It seemed like an awful lot for just a show.

“Erwin,” He asked, unsure of how to do this.

“Yes,” He said, smiling.

“I work for a podcast, called Phelony,” said Levi, watching the way Erwin raised his eyebrows at the name. “And I was just wondering if I can interview you. For the podcast.”

Erwin nodded. “Yes, the professor told me about your podcast.”

That made Levi frown. Why on earth had the professor spoken about him?

“I’d be happy to be interviewed!” He said. Levi almost let out a sigh of relief at that.

“Okay, I’ll start recording.”

“Do you want me to say anything to start off with? A introduction, or….?” Erwin said.

“No, no, just talk normally. Or, whatever you do.” Levi said, clenching his teeth. Why was he so bad at talking to this man?

Erwin waited patiently as Levi set up his recorder.

“Okay.”

“Hmm?”

“So… where were you born?” Asked Levi. This made Erwin chuckle.

“I was born in New Jersey, but moved to Georgia when I was two.” Erwin shrugged. “I don’t know, my childhood was pretty boring. I studied engineering in college, and began my career after that. That didn’t last very long, unfortunately.”

“When did you come to this prison?” Levi said, pushing the recording in closer.

“About three years ago.” He said, and something else seemed to creep into his voice. “I got visitors every once and a while, but they stopped after a year. The thing is, when you’re in death row,” He said, leaning closer like he was telling a secret. ”People tend to assume that you are the worst of the worse. I mean, why else would you deserve to die?”

Something about those words made Levi shiver. “And you are saying that you don’t deserve to die?” Levi felt the words leave his mouth before he could think, but held steady in the phrasing. He needed to be strong. It didn’t matter if it hurt Erwin’s feelings.

Erwin’s eyes danced, like there was a tiny flame in each pupil. As if everything around him was subject to laughter.

“Does anyone truly deserve to die?” He challenged, crossing his arms. “If anything, treasuring human life is the thing that has kept our society intact. I don’t think any government that is careless with human life has ever been commended, or at least not by the sane.” He grinned. “And if they say that that death in certain circumstances can be earned, then where does that leave our system?” He chuckled. “And let’s just, for arguments sake, say that I had committed a horrible, tremendous crime against another person. Who would judge my crime as having been worth the punishment of death? And how would that not be hypocritical?”

“That didn’t answer my question.” Said Levi.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t ask questions that no can really answer then.” Said Erwin, looking straight back at Levi. The flame had died. There was no more dancing. He seemed to be dead serious.

Levi glared. Why was the man so infuriating? The tension in the air was now different. It was hostile. Had Levi crossed a line he shouldn’t have?

“Levi.” Said Erwin, “Where did you grow up?” He said, smiling gently again.

“I thought I was supposed to be interviewing you?” Levi raised an eyebrow.

“Humour me.”

“Alright then,” Levi said, leaning forward to begin speaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, cliffhanger. I'm an evil bitch? Well, that's just, like, your opinion man.
> 
> /Slides on shades/ Anyway, this chapter was just pure joy to write!
> 
> Next week: Levi and Mr. I'm-on-death-row bond. Get ready for fluffy angst, peeps.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi learns Erwin's prison number

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm beginning to feel that my chapter summaries are inaccurate.  
> Levi's car music: improvisation no119 - Face First by kylelandry.

Erwin didn’t see himself as a bad man. He had never done anything to purposefully harm anyone. But in this system, it didn’t matter if you were sincere, or even telling the truth. Sometimes, even the evidence didn’t matter.

A lot of what people did or didn’t do never mattered; what did was what the public cared about. If they saw you as guilty, then you were guilty.

And Erwin knew this better than anyone.

So when Levi said, “And you’re saying that you don’t deserve to die?” He didn’t expect it to hurt him. The smaller man looked at him with slight disdain, with creased eyebrows and a hand on his recorder, and Erwin felt horrible.

Did he really come off that way? Of course he did, in his prison slacks with the bruise on his cheek. It was obvious to anyone from the outside that he didn’t look like he was meant to live in civilized society.

As he spoke, the man’s eyes widened.

“That didn’t answer my question.” He said, glaring. If looks could kill…

“Perhaps you shouldn’t ask questions that no can really answer then.” He said, grimacing.

He was silent for a bit, looking away. Was that shame?

“Levi.” Said Erwin, attempting to distract him. He hadn’t meant to make him feel bad. He did understand his view point though.

Levi looked back up at him. “Where did you grow up?”

“I thought I was supposed to be interviewing you?” Said the man, a smirk lighting up his cheeks.

“Humour me.” He said, allowing a smile to curl up the edges of his face.

Levi looked a little surprised, but nodded. “Alright then.” He leaning forward.

“I was born here. I pretty much never left until college. My childhood was uneventful, for the most part.” He shrugged. “I loved reading. I had a dog, called victor. He died when I was twelve. My grandmother when I was 21.”

Erwin nodded.

“I suppose I’m just as boring as you then.” He said, scoffing.

“I’m not boring.” Said Erwin, but kindly. He was smiling. Levi noticed it, and Erwin saw how he laughed, pink colouring his cheeks.

“Sure you’re not, old man!”

“I’m hardly old,” Erwin said, chuckling.

“How old are you, again?”

“I’m only 32!” He said, laughing.

“Four years older than me, then.” He said. “You got locked up at 30?”

He shook his head. “No, it was a few months before I turned 29. I came here soon after that. It’s not too bad here, actually.” Levi looked a little sceptical. “No, it’s true. Most of the other inmates don’t cause too much of a fuss. It’s a small prison, and we keep to ourselves.”

“Do you get bored?” Levi said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, all the time! But we have a library, and there are a few other inmates I talk to. The guards are nice enough, most of the time.”

Levi’s eyes trailed down his face to the slight stubble, then locked on the bruise.

“How did that happen?” He asked. Erwin chuckled.

“You don’t want to know.”

“No.” Said Levi, almost surprised at the tone in his voice. “I do want to know.”

Erwin sighed. “Turn off your recorder then.”

“What?” Said Levi, taken aback. “Why? I-“

Erwin shook his head. “I don’t think you understand. They- Levi…” He said, trailing off. “I don’t need this getting out to the professor. So please, turn off the recorder.” He said, firmly.

Levi glared at him, but pushed a button, turning it off with a beep.

“Is it really off?” He asked.

“Yes!” He seethed. “Now fucking tell me why you have that bruise!”

Erwin grimaced. “We have this new guard. He’s never worked in a prison before, and he thinks he can push us around.”

“Is that all he did then?” Levi said, as intense and high strung as always.

Erwin sighed. “Yeah. He’s just another rookie. I suspect he will be fired in a few weeks.”

“Then why haven’t you told anyone?!” He said, on the edge of shouting.

“Do you think they take us seriously?” He asked. “You said it yourself, we don’t really deserve to live. And besides, it’s not that bad. I think it gives me a rough criminal look.”

Levi gave a barely visible shudder, and turned away. “I didn’t say that.”

“But you believe it.” He said, his voice harsher, but not angry. “Clearly, you think that way. But you don’t even know what I did.”

Levi shook his head. This was all getting a bit much for him. He barely knew this man, but he felt like he should be defending him. He felt like he had done something wrong.

Something his mother had told him a while back suddenly echoed in his ears. She studied psychology in her youth, and had a fascination with the reasons why people committed crimes. She had told him about how easily a psychopath could pull you into their world, make you feel sympathy for them.

With that knowledge, how could he trust anything this man said?

“I’m turning the recorder back on.”

Erwin nodded. “Okay.”

Levi pressed the button back to turn it on.

 _Shit._ He thought. _It had been on the whole time!_

But Erwin didn’t notice as he turned it back on again, not asking why he had pressed the button twice. Or maybe he did notice, and refused to say anything.

His fingers trembled slightly, and he clenched them in his lap. _I refuse to be weak!_ He thought, looking back up into those bright blue eyes.

“What did you do?” He asked, his breath hitching.

“To earn this?” Erwin asked. He chuckled, but his light eyes were glowing with melancholy. “Nothing. I didn’t commit the crime I was put in here for.”

Levi glared. “How am I even supposed to believe that?” He cried.

“I don’t have anything left to lose. The professor doesn’t have the time to work on my case, and even he doesn’t necessarily believe me. I’m stuck here. I’m going to die in a year. I don’t really have anything to gain by saying this.”

Levi stared at him, trying to untie the knots in his own brain.

“You could use this to gain my sympathy.” He suggested. “To get me on your side.”

“I don’t think that you’re that kind of man, Levi.” Sighed Erwin. “I couldn’t get you to believe me if you thought I truly did it. But I assure you,” he said, his eyes intense and dark. “That I would never have hurt Carla. She was my friend.” He had his hands clutching onto the table. “She never should have died.” He said, no, whispered.

“Hey!” Said the guard, banging on the door, making Levi almost jump out of his skin. “You have two minutes! Finish up!”

Erwin looked back up. He had almost completely changed, hunched over, eyes wet. Hands shaking, breathe moving in and out of his lungs in rapid succession.

“Erwin.” He began, but the inmate pulled a cloth out of his pocket and rubbed his eyes.

“Sorry,” He said, his voice cracking. “I’m being ridiculous. It was four years ago.”

“No,” said Levi, his gut twisting. “No, it’s okay.” The man just looked so broken, that all logic seemed to collapse inside of him, and replacing it was sympathy and empathy. “It’s okay, I believe you.”

Erwin snickered, dropping the cloth onto the table. “Right.”

Levi leaned closer, his heart beating faster than normal. He picked up the cloth, and brought it closer to Erwin. He lifted his chin, and wiped the tears away. Those eyes stared, washing him in blue. A hand came up to his arm, his wrist, and held it, gently. Levi grit his teeth, and pulled away. The fingers on his pulse fell away with ease. He took a deep breath.

Red dusted his features, his nose, and cheeks. What had just happened?

“How,” He said, swallowing. “How did she die?”

“Stabbed. They don’t know how many times.” Said Erwin. “She was found in pieces. In her fridge.”

“Then why did they convict you?” Said Levi.

“They found a piece of my hair on her. And in her house.” He sighed, leaning back. “And I guess that was enough to say I was the murderer.”

Levi sat in silence for a while, not knowing whether to express sympathy or disgust, or just confusion. He didn’t even know this man that well, having met him only two three days ago. Yet he felt inclined to listen to him. To comfort him. Erwin was genuinely upset. Could that be caused by guilt, or sorrow of not being able to do anything?

“Levi!” Called the guard, breaking through his questions. “You need to go.”

“Levi.” Said Erwin, standing up as two guards filtered in from the back. “My prison number is 491, if you want to call me!” One grabbed his shoulder, while the other unhooked his chains and hooked them back onto his chair.

“Okay.” Said Levi. The guard shoved him into the wheelchair and took him away. They shared one last look as Erwin looked at him through the glass of the room. He turned off his recorder.

Damn it, he hadn’t told him that he’ll be there tomorrow. It would be fine, he told himself. It would all work out.

Erwin wasn’t guilty after all, or at least that is what he said. Levi hated that he felt like he should believe him. He was still a criminal.

There was no way a whole court would convict an innocent man, he thought furiously. And his DNA was found on the body. How was that not enough evidence?

If Levi looked at it like a lawyer, this man was a liar. Evidence had clearly been found on the body, and that was it. An easy, simple case. With the way the body had been handled after death, (or perhaps even more gruesomely, during) it would be an easy job to convince the jury to see him as guilty. Even more so if the accused and the victim were in a relationship.

It was obvious they needed to be. Why else would there be so much DNA in the crime scene?

Another possibility, he considers, was a jealous lover. Someone had not approved of the relationship and had killed the women (Carla?). That would also make sense. But only his DNA was found on the body.

Levi needed time to think this through.

As he climbed onto his motorcycle, waving to the man at the front, he flushed. Erwin’s eyes widening as Levi wiped the cloth over his face. The rough fingers gentle against his wrist, tracing the blue vein with his calloused thumb.

 _Oh_ , he thought. _It wasn’t a phase._

 _When did that happen_? He thought. He had been interested in other boys in high school, but that had sort of faded away after a while when he dated girls. He had always assumed it was just a phase in his life and largely ignored it.

But Levi felt the tingle on his wrist, and the blue eyes trained on his face blinked. Levi shook his head. Someone on death row shouldn’t be someone you think about in that way. But he couldn’t forget how it felt to have those fingers wrapped around his wrists. In that moment, when it had happened, he had felt a compulsion to lean into it. To feel those fingers against his own.

Levi grabbed his head, frowning. This would take time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
> Another chapter, holy damn, it's like Christmas! I'm pretty much Santa at this point.
> 
> God, I love writing Levi. He's like an angry slice of pie, I just can't be mad at him! Adorable little shit.
> 
> If you liked this, and want it to rain chapters, hit me up with some of that good comment stuff. It's meth to me. Keeps me up at night, and makes me die inside with glee.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin screws up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update!  
> I'm really surprised by the story. TBH, it started off as a story to practice on, as I haven't written anything before this for six months. But I am really enjoying this!
> 
> Levi's car music for today: 11 Acorn Lane - Spend My Time With You (Electro Swing Remix)
> 
> I hope you like this chapter as much as I loved writing it!

_The weather never seemed to agree with the general mood, thought Hannes. It was bright outside, and the birds were singing. No matter what happened, he thought, the world would keep turning._

_Very little could shock him now. He had seen people run out of buildings on fire, and burn in front of his very eyes. He had seen someone’s head explode as someone else gunned them down. He wouldn’t be shocked, but it would still bother him sometimes. He supposed that this was normal._

_If anything, it would be abnormal for him not to feel anything._

_He relaxed in his chair at the office, sipping at his whisky and smelling the stale air._

_It might do some good to open some windows, he thought, then sighed. It was too much effort._

_“Hannes!” Said a voice from the door._

_“Yeah, what?” He mumbled, climbing out of his chair. God, it was 10 in the morning. Should he have waited until 12 to start drinking? It was a bit early in morning._

_“Hannes, we have to go.” Sighed Ymir, glaring at him. “Carla Yeager’s been found. She’s dead.”_

_He stood up, poured the rest of the whisky down his throat, and got on his way._

<~>~<~>~<~>~<~>~<~>~<~>~<~>~<~>

Levi could barely sleep. He needed to find out more about Erwin. It was too late to go visit him now, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He pulled out his laptop.

Carla Erwin Smith, he looked up, waiting for it to load. There were a couple news reports, and he clicked. Levi began to read.

_Erwin Smith, the man accused of killing his ex girlfriend and placing her body into a fridge has been charged with murder with aggravating circumstances, and has been sentenced to the death penalty. Governor Ferrole has been accused of using this high profile case to further justify keeping the death penalty in Georgia. He claims that this is false, yet the backlash he had received over this might just allow members against the death penalty to override this ruling. The judge has been known to communicate often with the Governor. But because the sentence has already been settled, it is very unlikely that Erwin Smith’s sentence will be revoked._

_“I believe that this is a huge miscarriage of justice!” Said a HAD activist today. Humanists against the death penalty is a group that focuses on removing the death penalty, specifically in Georgia. “This man is clearly not the one that committed this crime! There is not enough evidence to support your case.” She said, once again. “If Governor Ferrole has anything to say about this, then he should apologize, and give Erwin back his dignity. Don’t let Smith be used as a political scapegoat!” She yelled at reporters._

_Governor Ferrole has refused to comment._

Levi read some more, but they were all more or less the same. Most of them didn’t seem to agree with the sentence. He frowned. There was very little information on the actual crime, or what had happened. He would probably need to call the professor to ask. He would know.

He would have to wait until morning though. In the morning, (early as always) Levi woke up, and cleaned his room.

“Levi!” Called his mother. “ _Do you want coffee?”_ He nodded, barely conscious. He hadn’t slept very well, and still had been awake until about three in the morning. Rubbing his eyes, he drank coffee, and had his cereal.

“ _You should go to bed earlier.”_ Chortled his mother at the table. She still had her slippers on.

 _“You better not have made this decaf.”_ He threatened.

She smirked. “I know.” His phone buzzed in his pocket. “Who’s that?”

“Armin,” he said, shaking his head.

“Levi?”

“Yep.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” He cried. “Please listen to my piece! I’ve really been struggling with it!”

Levi nodded. “Okay,” He said, rolling his eyes. “Sure, I’m sure it’ll be great.”

“Really? Okay, I’ll play it now. It’s on a recording, so…” He clicked something.

Levi listened to the whole thing. It wasn’t bad. It was just a little slow for his taste. He’d speed it up, maybe add some guitar, take out that twitchy A that kept slipping in. But it was a very nice piece.

“You’re doing a great job Armin.” He said. “But there are a couple things you need to work on. The speed is a little uneven. And take out that A, it doesn’t suit the piece at all.”

“Actually,” Said Armin, laughing nervously. “Claire already approved this.”

He clenched his fists. “Claire doesn’t know shit about music!” He spat. “She listens to Michael Buble and Paramore!”

“Levi, she said it’s fine.” He said, coughing.

“Well, it’s not! Fix it, then show me the new version!” He cried. Armin winced. “No Armin!” He said. “We have standards here, and I refuse to have subpar music in an episode simply because Claire doesn’t have any.”

“Subpar?! You don’t have to be so harsh!” cried Armin. “Okay, I’ll do that. But if she doesn’t like it, I’ll blame it on you!”

“Oh boo hoo,” he said, glaring at the phone as if it could transmit expressions. “Besides, you can do way better. Keep trying. I’ll send you some of my stuff, you can draw inspiration.”

Armin hung up. Levi didn’t want to make him feel bad. But Armin’s Jazz was just…. Bad. It wasn’t something he’d put his name on.

He called up the prison, and requested Erwin at 9:30. Requesting, like Erwin didn’t have a choice in the matter.

They agreed, and he went to the bathroom, brushing his teeth vigorously to remove the coffee stains that could accumulate if he didn’t brush them away.

As Levi approached the prison, he felt his breathing get a little funny. He scoffed. This was totally unprofessional. It was unprofessional to even have a bias, but Levi was a realist. He had to admit it to himself.

“Just go through Levi. He’s already waiting.” Said the man at the desk, chewing gum.

Erwin was already there, and when he was let in, a smile lit up his face. His eyes gleamed. “Morning Levi!” He said. “It’s a nice day outside!”

Levi sat down, placing the recorder onto the table. He had expected it to be a little awkward, after what had happened yesterday. “You’re very cheerful today.” He said, smirking slightly.

“Of course I am. You’re here again, aren’t you!” Erwin grinned. Levi flushed, feeling the blood rush up to his face. He swore internally. He was acting like a teenager again. He was 28, a full grown man, and he was going pink at someone saying that they were happy to see him.

“Sure, old man.” He said, rolling his eyes. “Let’s get this started.” He looked down at the recorder. Erwin had a very intense stare. Levi couldn’t do that at all. “I need to ask more questions. It’s boring, but I need to get more audio for the podcast.”

“How much time do you have until you have to take the audio back?” He asked. Like he was genuinely interested.

“A month.” At that, there was a drop in his expression. Was Erwin disappointed?

“A month isn’t a very long time.” He said, grimacing. Levi nodded.

“It’s not.”

Erwin smiled. “We should make the most of it then! Do you want to start now?” He asked, pointing at the recorder. Levi turned it on, and took a deep breath. Why was he nervous?

“I heard that Carla was your ex-girlfriend. Is this correct?”

“Yes, I broke up with her two days before she was murdered. She had had a divorce, and we were friends at the time. It turned into a relationship, but didn’t last long. We had been together for… four months? Yeah.” He said, thinking for a moment. “We were arguing a lot. Most of it was about Eren. He was her son, and he was having trouble with school. We didn’t know what to do. I didn’t find out about her death until after the police took me into custody.”

“Do you know where Eren is now?” He asked. Erwin shook his head. “He stayed with his father for a while. I think they’re estranged at the moment. They had a disagreement about something. Eren hasn’t spoken to me in a year though, so I am unsure.”

“Did you get along well?” Levi asked.

“Yeah.” Erwin said sadly. This man seemed to wear his emotions on his sleeve, and had no problem expressing them. “I’ve known him since he was born. Carla and I went to the same high school. She had Eren at 17. I think I was 16 at the time. He should be 15 or 16 now…” He said trailing off.

Eren. He swore, he had heard that name before. Somewhere. Maybe he had read it somewhere, but he felt like it was closer than that.

“Where does he live now? He’s not old enough to live on his own.”

“He lives with his friend from school. I don’t really know that much about where he is though. He believed me though.”

“Believed you?”

“He didn’t believe that I killed his mother. Eren told me after the case. He said that there was no way I killed her. Not in a thousand years.” He chuckled. “But he couldn’t say that to anyone. The media would have called him crazy. But he spoke out, this eleven year old kid.”

“That seems very admirable.” Said Levi.

“Does it? People accused me of threatening him to say those things. The police tried nearly everything to get him to testify against me. It was a total shit show.” Said Erwin.

“They were conspiring against you?” Said Levi, a little apprehensively.

“Yes, the governor was trying to keep the death penalty laws in. I wouldn’t use the word, conspiring, but I believe it resembled that. He used my case to push the law even further.” Erwin laughed. “I mean, what would you call it?”

Levi stiffened.

“How do I know I can trust what you’re saying.” He said, stronger.

“I don’t know, Levi.” Said Erwin. The way he said his name, it sent shivers down his spin. “I don’t know what I can do to make you trust me.” He shifted closer, as close as the chains allowed him to be. Levi bristled, and Erwin saw. The disappointment was clear, in his face. “I know you don’t trust me, I wouldn’t trust me either, considering my reputation. But Levi.” He said, making the blood rush to Levi’s face. He felt light headed. His face twisted into a glare.

Why was he even acting like this? He wasn’t angry at Erwin, but he was angry at himself. The man was very attractive, but this was wrong.

“Levi, you need to trust me!” Cried Erwin. “Please, you are the only one in the world that even cares!”

“How do you know I care?” he shot back.

“Are you kidding?” Laughed Erwin. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“What?!” Said Levi, his cheeks going completely red now. His heart was pounding in his ears. Erwin was also blushing, just a bit. “Are you…”

“Sorry,” Said Erwin, looking again. “I shouldn’t have brought that up. But you’re a lot more obvious than you think you are.”

There was silence for a moment, the air being filled with untold things and questions.

“I don’t.” Said Levi, glaring down at the table. A hand reached across the table to his own. He didn’t stop it. He felt Erwin’s hand around his own, warm. He wanted to pull him in, to kiss him. Revultion boiled up inside him, burning in his throat and in his chest.  ** _No_** , thought Levi.

“Really?” Said Erwin, raising an eyebrow. His fingers laced against his own.

In a sudden moment, Levi pulled away, a look of shock crossing Erwin’s features.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I need time to think.”

“Wait, Levi!” called Erwin, reaching towards him. Levi stood up, grabbing his recorder and stuffing it in his pocket. “Please, Levi-“

“I need to go.” Said Levi, almost panicking. He opened the door, sending a look of anger at Erwin, and walking out. The door shut behind him with a heavy _click_ , leaving Erwin alone in the room.

Erwin covered his face with his hands, attempting to steady his breathing. The one person who was willing to listen to him; he had scared him off, and now he wasn’t coming back.

Levi was the only real contact he had had in years. It only took a minute to screw everything up.

Erwin knocked, knowing that was the signal to let the guards in. They were rough, as always, but it didn’t seem to hurt as much as the look of fear that Levi had given him and he pulled his hands away. _I fucked up_ , he thought when they shoved him into the chair.

 _How typical_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh SHIT, am I right?  
> God, I love cliffhangers. Don't worry, you still get another chapter on Sunday! I've updated a tonne this week!
> 
> Tell me what you thought! Will Erwin and Levi be okay? What's up with the sudden semi-confession? And is Erwin a crazy psychopathic liar that is only using Levi to get himself off death row?! Where the fuck is Eren?
> 
> Find out, soon......


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More stuff happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exams are annoying, but I hope you enjoy this late chapter.

Levi listened through his recordings. It was rather good, but it wasn’t enough to fill a whole episode. He collapsed on his bed. What would he do now? He had pretty much admitted that he found Erwin attractive. Would he be able to go back there now?

He shook his head. Levi needed to get away. Go back to college, where everything was sane, and he wasn’t falling in love with a death row inmate who was probably trying to manipulate him.

Falling in love? That’s what it was, wasn’t it?

Levi took a deep breath, trying to shut out Erwin’s face. It would flash behind his eyelids. He needed to leave. In the morning, he would pack his bags. He needed to get back to reality. There was no point in continuing this stupid game in his head.

Erwin’s eyes glowed in his mind, bright and blue and as beautiful was anything he had seen. Levi’s heart beat steadily in his chest. He ignored this. He would have to. Nothing would come of this, he told himself. Nothing would.

In the morning, he packed his bags.

“I’ve gotten everything I need,” He told his parents. They nodded, his mother a little sad that he had to leave early. “Besides, the company needs me. I need to get back.”

They hugged him one last time, and he climbed back on his motorcycle. He drove off, picking up food on the way and eating chips and a burger while watching the sea.

His parents wouldn’t like it, he told himself. They wanted him to get married, have a few children. Grow old with a wife, and learn to love the little things in life. They only wanted him to be happy. If he was honest with himself, they wouldn’t accept him being with a man. It was understandable. They just wanted him to be happy. His father wouldn’t get it, and his mother would tell him to be careful, and they would tell everyone. The embarrassment this would bring on was enough to prevent him from telling them anything. And that wasn’t even counting the rest of his family. He would be shunned by his wider family.

There were so many bad things about the idea of being with Erwin. He was a prisoner, a death row inmate, a man. He chewed on his burger, allowing the sea to wash away his guilt. It was another phase, he told himself. If he kept doing this, he would eventually believe it himself.

He got to his apartment at twelve, tired from the road, and sick of his thoughts, he sipped bourbon in the kitchen. Levi wasn’t much a drinker, but he needed something to distract him.

It wasn’t good to spend so much time inside. “Hange.”

“Hey Levi!” She said. “I heard you went to Georgia. How was it?”

He shrugged. “It was alright.”

“That’s great!” She cried. “You needed a break. You need to get your graduation uniform soon though, I know a guy that’s renting it for cheap, so you should check him out!” She rattled on for a while more, talking about Mike, and how she loved Tracer’s design. She didn’t seem to notice anything. That was good, he told himself.

“Anyway,” she said, laughter bubbling up from her voice. “It’s really nice to hear your voice again! You should come over for lunch! Subway is open, we can go there,” She said, humming slightly. “Do you like subway? I love subway!”

“Sure subway sounds good,” He said, a small smile appearing on his face.

“Okay,” She said. “I’ll see you there!” She hung up, and Levi grinned. Her cheerfulness was infectious. You would have to be a total monster not like hanging around her.

When he walked in, she was already there, waiting patiently, grinning like a light bulb.

She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, and he pat her shoulder. “You’re eager.” He smirked.

“Of course I am!” Hange cried. “I haven’t seen you in ages!” She said, squeezing the life out of him.

“It’s only been a week!” He said, shoving her arms off him, and sitting down in a booth.

“That’s a pretty long time!” She said. “You don’t get it. You’re anti-social!”

He scoffed. They ordered their food, speaking between bites.

“So,” She said, food still in her mouth. He couldn’t look at her like this. “How were your parents?”

“They were great.” He said. “It was fine.”

“Ok.” She said, raising an eyebrow. “I heard from Petra you were taking some time off work for something. What might that be, huh?”

“You and Petra are talking again?” He said.

“Hell yeah! And stop trying to change the subject!” She was determined. He rolled his eyes, taking a paper tissue from the wrapping and wiped the mayonnaise off Hange’s chin.

“I was doing something for the podcast. I had to interview a death row inmate.” He said. Her mouth dropped wide open.

“Oh my god, Levi!” She said. “Why didn’t you tell me!? Was it scary? Did he have any tattoos?”

He shook his head. “No. To be honest, he was pretty normal. The only thing that was scary about it is that he told me he was innocent.”

She laughed. “They all say that! He’s in death row for a reason. They wouldn’t convict someone without enough evidence.” He wondered whether to tell her what he had found.

“I have no idea.” He said, rubbing the crease in his brow. “He seemed so normal. And I looked up his case. It really seems like his innocent.”

“No way!” She said, pulling out her phone. “Tell me his name, I’ll look him up.” He sighed.

“Erwin Smith.”

“That’s a very common last name.” She commented, typing something. Her eyes widened. “Wow!” She said. “He’s a real looker!”

“Hange!” he said, gritting his teeth.

“No, I’m serious! Those eyes are gorgeous. And his strong jawline,” She said, grinning. “No wonder you wanted to interview him.”

“Hange.” He said, head in his hands. “Please.”

She looked for a little while, a smirk on her face. Slowly it faded into a look of concern. “The evidence is pretty slim.” She said, frowning. “Only his hair was found. And they were in a relationship, so it makes sense. But who else could it be.” She muttered.

“What do you think?” He asked. Hange shrugged. “I have no idea. If there was nothing else, I’d say he did it. But he said he was at the bar on the night that she died, and the bartender said he was, but she never testified. I don’t know what to think. But the lawyer that took the case clearly didn’t know what they were doing. You’d have to be an idiot to screw an easy case like this.” She said, putting down her phone and chewing on her subway.

He tapped his fingers against the table. They left after an hour, waving goodbye. Levi was alone again.

He called up Armin, tapping the numbers in and waiting.

“Levi! Are you okay? I’m sorry for not calling-“

“No, no,” He said. “I was a bit of an asshole.”

“Oh,” Said Armin, a little surprised. “Thank you.” He said. “Anyway! Petra told me you’re back!”

“Word travels fast through the grape vine, huh.”

“Hange told Petra.”

“Yes,” He said. “I got that.”

“So, have you got the material? Claire would love to get it soon.”

“Yeah, about that.” He said, taking a deep breath. “I need to come in to the studio. I need to edit it a bit.”

“Okay, sure. It’s open now, so… If you want I can keep it open for you!”

“Thanks Armin.”

Armin nodded. “I checked out some of the jazz you did, and I changed the music. I hope you like it now.”

“Show me in the studio. I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay!”

When he got to the studio, he found Armin already there, fiddling for equipment. “I’ve set everything up. Can you listen to it?” He asked. Levi nodded, plugging the ear phones into his ears. It was rather good, still slow, yet carrying that mellow tune that echoed through the piece, quietly hanging in the air.

There was still a background of liveliness, and hope. He liked that about the way Armin wrote music. It could be tragic, yet the happy overtones seeped into the notes.

“It’s lovely.” He said, pulling on the ear buds. “You took my advice.”

Armin shrugged, red pooling into his cheeks. “I didn’t really think my work was good anyway. I just copied you. It’s not that original.”

Levi shook his head. “No, this is really good! I’m serious.” He pulled out his recorder, and plugged it into the computer.

“Is that the inmate?” Whispered Armin, listening as Levi fast-forwarded through the tape.

Levi nodded. “Yep, that’s him.” The image of burning blue eyes flashed for a moment. He rubbed his eyes, trying to remove them, to contain it. This was beginning to get ridicules.

“His voice is deep, isn’t it.” He said. “I was surprised when you came back. I thought it would take longer.” Levi let the tape play normally. This part was fine. He didn’t need to remove any of this.

“I finished everything I needed to.” He said, scrolling.

“Wait, wait.” Said Armin, leaping over to pause. “Did I just hear, Eren?” Armin leaned in closer, and listened again. “Holy – this guy was Eren’s step father?!”

“What?” Said Levi, eyes wide. “You know Eren?”

“Yes! He’s a family friend. He travels every now and then, but he’s staying at my house now. I never knew that you were going to interview Erwin! I’ve heard great things about him.”

Levi took a deep breath. This was unexpected. He needed to use this. Perhaps Erwin was telling the truth, not just trying to make Levi feel sorry for him. “Can you give me Eren’s number? I think I might be good to ask him some stuff.”

“Uhh, sure.” Said Armin, pulling out his phone. “He’s a bit of a loner though.”

Levi copied his number, his heart beating in his chest. It all seemed to be connected. “Levi, if your looking into his case, then I’ll just tell you this.” Said Armin. “Eren knew Erwin. He would never kill Carla. Believe me.”

Levi nodded. “I thought of that myself, but I didn’t think it could be true. Are you completely sure that Erwin is innocent?”

Armin nodded intensely. “Levi, I would believe what Eren says. He knew him since he was a child. Why else would he be traveling around, looking for the real killer?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLOT TWIST
> 
> Oh damn.  
> Anyway, sorry about the late update. I'm really busy studying, and it's been a little stressful!


End file.
